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An Illinois district's summer enrichment program is providing students of all skill levels additional practice in math, reading, science and more, plus tailoring instruction to meet students' needs. For example, students who are gifted can spend more time on advanced math, read books of their choice and tutor younger students.

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A Level 2 literacy class at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Glen Ellyn, Ill., recently examined democracy with some students interviewing people about the word "relationship" and other students creating "relationship trees" to explore connections among people. The school is one of the 25 nationwide recognized by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills as an Exemplar School for its use of engaged learning in core subjects, such as reading and math, to teach collaboration and independent thinking skills.

Through a cooperative placement program at the Mt. Vernon Area Vocational Center in Illinois, two high-school students are working at locomotive and railway manufacturer National Railway. The assignment helped high-school senior Jacob Williamson commit to a career in mechanical engineering. "After this experience, seeing how it really is in the workforce, I want to pursue it," he said, adding, "It's just stuff you can't learn in a classroom. It's hands-on."

An Illinois school district is seeking to close the achievement gap in math among minority students. This summer, the district hosted Operation Calculus -- a four-week program in which students were given a head start on the math curriculum. "I came back to school knowing the information, and have been helping other students that didn't do math this summer," student Maressa Brown said.

An Illinois high school launched a summer program -- Operation Calculus -- to help give black students enrolling in advanced math in the fall a solid foundation for success. District data show more black students drop out of advanced math classes than their peers, and officials hope the program can help reverse that trend. Student participation in the four-week program was voluntary.

Students at Olympia Community Unit School District 16 in Stanford, Ill., can access online math enrichment activities from home or school anytime they want extra skills practice. The district has used the IXL online math program for two years, and educators, parents and students agree that the program is a valuable resource.